Chimes
by I M Sterling
Summary: When her husband does the unthinkable, who does Hermione turn to for comfort? Our favorite potions master of course. Rated M for smut. DO NOT READ if you are under 18.
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: This is a little two-shot I've been working on. I'll get you the second half next weekend. Enjoy!**_

The discreet chimes had been her herald of hope for almost a year; hearing the sound today of all days was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Her silver knife faltered, within moments she was sitting on the floor of the shop, arms wrapped around herself, sobbing.

"Hermione?"

She heard the concern in Severus' voice, but she couldn't see him or anything else through the tears.

"Merlin. Come on, let's get you to the office." Strong arms lifted her and she was shortly sitting on the slightly shabby couch in the office of their shop. Her tears ruined Severus' shirt, but he never said a word. He simply held her while she wept, as her body attempted to purge her sorrow like it was some deadly poison.

Eventually, she quieted, but she didn't move. This certainly wasn't a normal day at work. He wasn't the sort of man who encouraged physical familiarity even among his friends, and she had been married before their mutual respect had blossomed into friendship.

"Can I assume that this reaction was based on finalizing the divorce?"

His velvet voice blended into shadows that were quickly filling the office. It must be close to dinner. She didn't care for herself…she hadn't felt like eating since she'd discovered the news.

Ron Weasley, husband, war hero, international Quidditch star, had done the unthinkable. Hermione felt brittle as she thought about it. It wasn't_ just_ that he'd had affairs…that alone would have been enough to file for divorce. No, his betrayal had been more than simple infidelity. More hurtful…more fulsome. If someone were designing a scenario to crush her spirit, Ron's betrayal might have been tailor-made for the purpose.

During the early days of their marriage (just three months after the war ended) Hermione had insisted that the young couple needed to establish themselves before starting a family. She was going to Hogwarts to finish her NEWTS, he was traveling the world as a keeper for the Kestrels…even looking back she knew that waiting was the right decision.

She and Ron had the biggest fight of their relationship, complete with hurtful words, ultimatums, slamming doors, and a formal separation.

It had caused a rift in their marriage, and Ron had reacted in typical fashion: he'd gone out and chased anything in a skirt. A few weeks into his six month sex binge, he'd followed the advice of one of his teammates and had the wizarding version of a vasectomy.

Eventually, she and Ron had reconciled. She forgave him his early indiscretions, and he forgave her for having common sense and attempting to use it.

Somehow, during their reconciliation, Ron failed to mention the procedure that rendered contraceptives unnecessary.

Years passed. Hermione pursued her potions mastery and eventually an apothecary with Severus…Ron was largely absent eight months of the year for Quidditch.

Eventually, Hermione brought up the issue of children.

And that's when he did the cruelest thing: "Mione, if you want to have a baby, I can't wait to get to work on it with you."

The bastard hadn't said a word.

She'd joyfully stopped taking her contraceptive potion, and they'd spent a year shagging like bunnies before she really decided that something was wrong.

Severus, as her business partner, was aware that she and Ron had been trying to start a family. He was the one who had quietly advised her to see a specialist at St. Mungo's after the first year passed with her bleeding away her hopes every month. He helped her brew fertility potions for six months after the healer gave her a clean bill of health. (Severus was also the one who grumbled that spending twelve hours a day on a broom wasn't particularly beneficial from a male reproductive standpoint).

Hermione became slightly obsessed, tracking her fertile periods, and even making a spell that notified her with chimes the moment she was ovulating…and Ron hadn't said a word when she started dragging him out of Quidditch practice in the middle of the day so they could have the best chance: no, he'd just smirked at his teammates…and that was his mistake.

The seeker for Ron's team was a die-hard womanizer who had tried to seduce Hermione more than once. One night, after she'd hauled her husband off for a quick shag in the middle of a team meeting, Fredricks had pulled her aside and made a few barbed comments about his teammate.

Hermione hexed the odious little man as a matter of course, but once the idea was introduced, she couldn't ignore it.

She wanted to deny it…but it fit. It made too much sense.

Severus didn't ask her why she needed veratiserum. He just helped her brew it.

Three drops in Ron's second pint of bitter after a game did the trick. He blabbed the entire tale in front of half his team, the Potters, and two of his brothers. He blathered on to his horrified audience about how he didn't want to fight so he hadn't mentioned the procedure. His confessions from there were as hurtful: he'd bragged that the sex was so much better now that she was off contraceptives that he'd stopped giving in to the groupies that followed the Quidditch team like flies…at least for the most part.

Hermione counted her personal humiliation as collateral damage, and the very next morning (whilst Mr. Ron Weasley was in St. Mungo's hex and spell damage ward) she'd taken those memories and filed for divorce.

The ministry was normally sluggish about granting divorce, but Ron's misdeeds plus a witness who just happened to be Head of Magical Law Enforcement (Harry was appalled by Ron's actions) enabled Hermione to push it through in a matter of weeks.

Today she'd signed the final papers. She kept the main residence and all interest in the business she and Severus had worked so hard to establish. He got the brooms, the car, and a vacation cottage in France. She split the bank accounts with him fifty/fifty.

Hearing that subtle chiming sound today…it was too much.

**SSssSSssSSssSSssSSssSSssSSss SSssSSssSSssSSssSSss**

Severus had spent all afternoon comforting her without a single complaint.

"Are you hungry?"

She moved slightly. She was sore.

"I'm thirsty." She conjured a glass and filled it with spring water.

"Are you ever going to tell me what set you off…should I keep you away from ashwinder eggs in the future?" Hermione snorted as she remembered the ingredients she'd left un-chopped on the work table.

She muttered "No…it was the chimes…"

He looked at her with real concern on his sharp features.

"Have you eaten today at all?"

She gave him a watery smile. "I used chimes in an alert spell, the one that let me know I was…fertile. Hearing them today was…"

He pulled her into his arms again.

"Have I offered to poison Weasley for you? It would be no trouble at all."

She quirked brow at him. "Sure, what's a lifetime sentence in Azkaban between friends? Maybe we could get adjoining cells and work in the prison infirmary brewing basic potions together."

"You're assuming that I would allow you to participate; and that I would get caught." She was fairly sure he was joking…mostly.

"Ron Weasley isn't worth the potions ingredients."

"I buy them at bulk rates."

She finally grinned at him.

"Don't worry for me Severus. I'll reverse that damn charm tomorrow."

He snorted.

"What?"

"Well the entire idea of having sex because of a bell…Pavlov springs to mind."

She refilled her glass and chortled.

"Don't remind me. I know I've probably seemed a bit mad the past few months."

Severus looked down and absently summoned a tin of biscuits from the third drawer on the left.

"Weasley was the mad one. How did he think he was going to get away with it?"

She snorted. "I have no idea who might have slipped him a truth potion of course…"

He smirked. "Of course not…"

"But he did say that he intended to have the procedure reversed…some day."

"Bastard." He offered her a ginger newt. She selected one with care. He didn't share his secret stash of biscuits with just anyone.

"Without doubt." She bit into the treat meditatively.

"Didn't he see how terrible it was for you every month when your hopes were dashed?" The words seemed to burst from somewhere deep within Severus Snape.

She tried not to cry.

"I don't think he even noticed. We never communicated the way we should…that was my fault as much as his. I thought we could have separate interests…but we drifted so far apart that there wasn't any common ground left…"

"The fact that he was hiding something like this from you might have had something to do with the lack of common ground." He sneered and devoured a biscuit viciously. "Well, that and the fact that you don't speak dunderhead."

She nodded. "At least it's over. Frankly, I'm surprised. If I'd imagined divorcing him, I would have expected to lose nearly everyone…well, except you. The rest of 'our' friends were more his than mine."

Severus gagged. "I have not been, nor will I ever be, Ron Weasley's 'friend'. Only my esteem for you kept me from throwing an Avada at him…Azkaban be damned."

She snickered. "I thought his bollix were in grave danger last Christmas."

"You have no idea how badly I wanted to, but I knew if I ruined your chances of reproducing, I'd be facing the wrath of Hermione…and while other people might have forgotten Marietta Edgecombe, I have not."

She blushed, but she still looked a little smug. "I gave her the counter-curse after the war ended."

"After the healers and curse-breakers had given up." The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Severus Snape! Are you trying to cheer me up?"

"Cease your slanderous accusations this instant." His eyes were dancing.

She settled back into the sofa and selected another ginger newt.

"I need to thank you, for everything…I know I tend to get a bit focused…"

"A bit?" There was a hint of a smile in his eyes. "You and I have endured too many things together to talk of debts or thanks…isn't that what you said when you pulled my nearly dead body out of the shrieking shack?" He pulled her close. "The worst part of the past year was knowing that you were making yourself crazy desperately trying to give Ron Weasley something he could never properly appreciate…"

"We both wanted children…or we did when we married."

"No, Mr. Weasley expected to have children at some point…because it was expected. You waited until your future was secure and fell in love with the idea of children."

She sniffed. "The enchanted knitting needles making baby booties gave it away?"

He smiled indulgently at her. "That, and our large stock of specialty items for babies and new mothers. From a business standpoint, you found yet another nitch for the company…but from a personal viewpoint it was clear how much you envied those new mothers…."

"I didn't realize it was so noticeable."

"We _do_ spend nine to twelve hours a day together. I have been known to see the obvious when it is in front of me."

"I suppose I'd better get home…I'm sure you want to get to dinner."

He held her to his side for another moment. "Yes, come along then…I can't have my business partner starving, and you know take-out at any of your normal spots will be teeming with reporters." He pulled her up and wrapped her cloak around her body.

She frowned at him.

"I'm not good company at the moment."

He snorted. "I'm never good company but that's never stopped you from dogging my footsteps and nagging. Besides, I, being a Slytherin, have a plan."

She raised a brow in an expression that reminded him of himself.

"Oh?"

He smirked. "Some fresh bread, some hearty stew, and enough red wine to make you pass out like an elf with a six pack of butterbeer."

"You're planning to get me drunk?"

"If not drunk, then at least blurred."

"Blurred?"

He nodded, black eyes changing from teasing to serious like a summer storm blowing in from the ocean.

She looked into his dark eyes like they held all the secrets in the universe.

"Blurry sounds perfect."


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: Sorry to keep you waiting! I'm moving this week and it's been brutal. Unfortunately, this chapter won't conclude the story…looks like it will be at least a three-shot with an epilogue…sorry! I thought I'd keep it to about 4,000 words, but I always seem to write long once I get into the story.**_

"Severus! You didn't."

He smirked over his glass of wine. "I most certainly did. Why do you think that Albus favored Muggle sweets…it made them harder to sabotage."

Hermione threw her head back and laughed until her sides hurt.

He tried to look innocent and failed completely. Hermione wasn't the only one who was a bit blurred.

"I know that look. What did you do?"

"Well, it was the middle of a war, and as a spy I couldn't be seen encouraging a _Gryffindor_, particularly those Griffindores…but there's a slight chance I might have steered them toward the ingredients in their ton tongue toffees…via detention of course."

She sipped her wine. "Of course. Now why would a double agent do something like that?"

He tried to scowl menacingly at her, but found his facial muscles were resisting him, so he gave it up as a bad job. "Well for one thing, those two anarchists were creative. There were days I nearly burst something trying not to laugh at the little recidivists." He allowed himself a shark-like grin. "Also, the sheer number of points they lost and incited others to lose made Minerva so angry her whiskers twitched."

The curly-haired witch giggled and put her head in his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Thank you Severus."

He looked down at her, with her pretty cheeks flushed from wine, her eyes bright with laughter. She actually, literally took his breath away.

"What are you thanking me for?" He was lost in the caramel depths of her eyes. For the first time in his life, he couldn't make his mind follow the conversation.

"For dinner. And the wine. And just for being my friend…I could go on if you like."

He might have blushed. Merlin, he must be pissed.

He cleared his throat. "I thought our long association rendered thanks unnecessary between us."

Her head was still in his lap. "Silly man. That might be what I said, but I didn't really mean that. I meant that _you_ never needed to thank me. "

He snorted. "You are the one who has to deal with the dunderheads. Brewing is a pleasure; dealing with the business side gives me migraines. Without you, I would have never opened the shop."

"You could have hired someone to work the counter and do the books, and someone else to help with potions."

"I wouldn't have. "

That was nothing but truth. They both knew it.

She snuggled against his thigh, causing a slight reaction. She didn't seem to notice. Possibly her wealth of hair padded her head so she couldn't feel it.

"Well then, I'm glad we found a way to work together. I'd be miserable without you."

He played with a curl, wrapping it around his finger.

"So, those were tears of joy today?"

She frowned. He didn't like that…he hadn't meant to make her frown.

"Today…that was me mourning the waste. Mourning the years down the drain and the children I may never have. It's extremely depressing and I don't really want to talk about it."

Conversely, her words comforted him.

"Silly girl. Never mourn that. Now you have the opportunity to meet someone that will give you children that aren't ginger menaces. I was relying solely on your genes to keep them from being dunderheads."

She smiled at him again, but it was sad.

Her voice was very small and far away. "How do you trust anyone again?"

"You're asking me? Well, I suppose that makes sense. I am, after all, renowned for my unwavering trust and faith in others…"

She sat up (both to his dismay and relief) and whacked him lightly on the thigh as she re-filled her wine glass.

He watched her avidly. Even as 'blurry' as they both were he admired the grace with which she moved. He'd given up, years ago, on the idea that she might one day see Ron Weasley for what he was. He of all people knew how blind love could be…her devotion (even to that dunderhead) was one of the most attractive traits in an admittedly attractive package.

He forced his mind back to the conversation, and took a long drink. "Time is the only thing that helps. It takes time to get over being hurt…and in time new friends can prove themselves. You never fall quite as easily as the first time, but I think there is the potential for more depth as we age…"

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and something else, something darker. Surely that wasn't desire? He glared at his wine glass. He was fairly certain he hadn't imbibed enough wine to suffer hallucinations…

Hermione was watching him while listing slightly to the left. He pulled her closer to his side…purely to keep her from falling and injuring herself of course. She looked up at him and asked "Why haven't you married?"

He snorted. "Because I couldn't choose between all the women lined up to marry a middle aged, half-blooded, potions master." He allowed her to nestle comfortably under his arm, and decided to cut the sarcasm bit before she thumped him again.

"It was much too dangerous to even dream of it before we stopped Voldemort. Afterward, there were women who were interested in the supposedly dark and dangerous double agent, but the vast majority of them were dunderheads…and even the best of them weren't really interested in Severus Snape, the man."

Her brow creased as she looked up at him. "You _did_ try being nice to them, right?"

He poked her in the side, where he knew she was ticklish. She squirmed and squealed, which he found appealing for some reason. "I do have excellent manners when I choose to employ them."

She nodded in agreement. "I know. When you choose to be, you're the most charming man I know. Brave, passionate, loyal, and mind-bogglingly brilliant…who wouldn't want to know you?"

She actually looked puzzled. He kissed her brow.

"You forgot snarky, sarcastic, mean, and ugly as sin."

She laughed and gestured with the nearly empty glass. "I'll give you snarky and sarcastic. I object strongly to 'mean'. 'Ugly' is utterly ridiculous."

He rolled his eyes. "How much wine have you had? I'm beginning to worry about your eyesight."

She was (admittedly) having a bit of trouble focusing. "I look at your face nine to twelve hours a day. I've been known to see the obvious when it's right in front of me."

She cupped his cheek and kissed the tip of his nose.

He should have said something sarcastic that would make her pull away. They were both well beyond tipsy. She was his friend, his best friend…hell; she might very well be his only real friend. But the liquid warmth of her soft little hand on his cheek was too much.

He moved his mouth to hers, surprised and gratified at her willing response. There was no hesitation when their lips met.

He was lost in the feel of her lips, and barely noticed that he'd pulled her slight frame into his lap.

She was the one who moved to straddle him. She was the one who moved from kissing his lips to nipping the sensitive scar tissue on his neck. He almost came in his pants when he felt her hot tongue slide over it. It was somehow the most intimate act anyone had ever performed on his very willing body. Then when he felt her teeth…he shuddered and pulled her back to his mouth.

She looked worried. "Not good?"

He sucked her swollen bottom lip and nipped it lightly. "Too good; it was almost better than an orgasm."

She smiled and tried to angle her head for another go at his neck.

"Don't. It's too much right now." He pulled her tighter and began a very thorough exploration of her lovely mouth, stroking the exposed skin on her arms and neck with his work-roughened fingers.

He took a moment and stared at her face. She was practically glowing under his light caresses and probing kisses. He allowed his hands to circle her waist. Up until this point, he'd been a gentleman. He didn't want to be.

"Stay with me." It wasn't a question. It was a demand, a plea, a prayer.

She didn't bother answering; she just used his distraction to move her lips back to his neck.

His hips bucked involuntarily, grinding his (now very obvious) erection into her.

"Say it. Say you'll stay with me witch."

Her warm brown eyes met his. "I'll stay Severus."

He took full possession of her mouth, eliciting a startled moan, but he didn't stop. He never let her lips leave his as he carried her to his bed. A wordless spell pulled the duvet and clean white sheets down. Her hands worked the buttons of his shirt, but he simply stared at the sight before him: her ringlets spilling all over his pillow; her lips pink from his kisses; her breath quick from his touch.

She finally managed to free him from his shirt. She made a sound when she saw his pale, scared chest. He felt a momentary concern that it had disgusted her, but she quickly pulled him to the bed. She proceeded to cover each scar with gentle touches and soft, open-mouthed kisses. None of the other puckered scars were as sensitive as the one on his neck, but they did produce some odd tingles when she touched them.

He continued to caress her neck with his fingertips, tracing her jaw, her throat, her ear. He pulled her mouth back within kissing distance, and started unbuttoning her blouse.

A part of him was screaming that he should stop. Tomorrow might be a little awkward, but at this point she might not even remember.

Damn it. He finally had her in his bed. What sort of self-respecting Slytherin would give her a chance to leave?

"Hermione?" He toyed with the third button on her blouse. The other two were open, revealing a luscious expanse of skin that he ached to taste.

She ran her fingers across his cheekbone and tangled them in his hair. "Severus, if you try to be a gentleman right now, I swear I will find my wand and hex you."

He ripped the remaining buttons off her shirt and buried his nose between the soft mounds of her breasts. He pushed down the lacy cups and began an intense course of study involving the supple texture of the majority of the skin on her breast as compared to the hard nipples. He licked and suckled, caressed and nipped until she was moaning while she held his dark head against her with surprising strength.

He removed her slacks and knickers with another harsh tug. Something ripped but he couldn't care less. He'd buy her more knickers. Lots of knickers. Lacy, silky, beautiful knickers to accent the stunning body he was staring at. The idea of it made him even harder. She was fumbling with the button of his pants, fingers unintentionally grazing the head of his cock as she worked at undoing it. It was delicious torture.

He let his fingers explore her naked skin, dipping at her waist, circling her bellybutton, teasing along her thighs. She finally managed to get her hot little hand into his pants about the time he allowed himself to touch her sweet mound. The feeling of both touching and being touched was exquisite.

"Severus…I need you."

He chuckled and kissed her mouth.

"What do you want from me witch? Anything I have; everything I am…?"

"I want you inside me!" She groaned and pressed her plump sex against his hand. He slid a long finger inside her.

"Is this the part of me you want inside you?"

"No!" She pulled at his pants emphatically.

He chuckled, incredibly pleased with himself.

"Insistent aren't you?" He kissed her nose, and then moved back to her mouth as he divested himself of his remaining clothing in short order.

_**AN: I'll update again on Wednesday (as long as I don't kill myself moving…) Again, I did try to get it out quicker, it just didn't happen! **_

_**Next chapter: In which Severus faces a moral dilemma…**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**As promised, the third chapter…It's rated M for a good reason, so if you are under age, or don't want to read the naughty bits, skip this chapter! **_

_**Now on to chapter three!**_

He restrained her wrists in one large hand, kissed her palm, and nipped her lovely neck. "You'll get what you want love, I promise. There's no rush tonight." He indulged her when she moved her head for a kiss, and lost track of time as he plundered her mouth and caressed her body.

He let her wrists go and moved to kiss his way up her thighs as she moaned her appreciation; he gave the petals of her moist center a long lick. She shuddered and Severus surmised that her ex-husband (_emphasis on the ex…Severus couldn't help gloating inside his head_) was either not fond of giving oral stimulation or not talented…either way…the more fool he.

Severus teased her folds with his mouth; he grazed the delicate tissue ever-so-lightly with his teeth before entering her with his tongue. He traced her clit with feathery touches as he tasted her. The goal was not to bring her quickly…she'd had too many quick shags. The goal was to overwhelm her senses. Long wet licks, gentile sucking, and firm, light touches stoked the fire inside her, making her writhe and scream as he watched, delighted with his work.

She was close to coming undone as he slid two wet digits into her tight channel. Her body clamped down and she came so hard she would have pushed his fingers out if he hadn't held them in.

Panting, sweaty, and glowing, the woman was a marvelous sight. He lay beside her, kissing the soft skin of her shoulders as she learned to breathe again.

The idea that Ron Weasley had made love to her was almost sacrilegious, akin to allowing someone to finger-paint over a Monet.

He ran his hands over her stomach and dipped between her legs again. Her inner walls fluttered at the invasion of his finger, their silken heat clutching and pulling.

He leaned up and licked her ear. "Now, what part of me did you want inside you witch?"

She groaned and pulled him closer for a searing kiss as he moved between her legs. The heat from her core was incredible.

She took him in her hand and positioned him at her entrance.

He bit back an inarticulate moan as he slipped inside of her, fighting the urge to let go like a fourteen year old virgin the second he felt her hot sheath around him.

To think, the chimes, that ridiculous ovulation monitor she'd set up…had led to this….

_Damn, damn, and double damn. He hadn't even thought about casting a contraception charm. _His wand was in the sitting room downstairs.

She was ovulating. His mind started working furiously, considering the possible implications.

The powerful fertility potions he'd brewed at her request were still active.

Severus had no doubts as to his own reproductive health. Hermione had been 'considering all options' in her pursuit of a baby…including adoption and sperm donation. Severus doubted that she'd informed Weasley of her inquiries.

When Severus had happened upon the paperwork for possible sperm donors on her desk from St. Mungo's fertility division, he'd made up his mind. He'd called himself a fool dozens of times, but in the end he'd done the diagnostic test to evaluate his own fertility as he'd watched her continued efforts to conceive.

He hadn't approached her, but he'd been laying the ground work for two months. He'd convinced himself that he was willing to be a donor if that was the only way for her to have the child she craved. He was determined to be her choice if she went that route. It would have been both heaven and hell…to see her with his child in her belly while Weasley played the father. It wasn't what he really wanted, but it might have been enough.

But now he was buried in her, self-control strained to the breaking point as those fantasies of watching her grow ripe with his child played in his mind.

He took possession of her mouth, fighting himself.

She wrapped her legs around him, tilting her pelvis slightly; the new angle was better for both of them.

He tried to summon his wand wordlessly but he couldn't focus. He groaned and stilled his movement.

"Hermione…"

He told himself later that he could have stopped, at least long enough to find his wand, but she chose that moment to clinch her inner muscles around him and bite the sensitive scar on his neck. His vision went white as he unconsciously bucked into her body, thrusting himself against her sensitized flesh.

They went over the edge together, moaning in harmony.

He came back to himself and pressed soft kisses over her face, into her hair, on her swollen mouth.

He rolled off of her, fearing his weight might be uncomfortable. She made a little noise of dismay as he pulled out. He cradled her to his chest. She snuggled close to him and pressed sweet kisses along his pale chest.

He held her close, dreading what the morning might hold.

_**AN: I really hope this story is making sense. I'm completely done in. I'd love to say I'm done with moving…but I'm not. The move from Hades continues. I'll post again Friday…the way this story is going it may take a few chapters to finish up. **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**AN: Another chapter that's rated M! **__**DO NOT read if you are under age or under any illusion that this chapter doesn't contain smut.**_

_**Thanks for all the encouraging PMs and reviews. Sorry about any errors…by brain is the consistency of pudding at the moment…but a promise is a promise!**_

Hermione retuned to consciousness slowly, her mind still fuzzy from the night before. She was a tad confused; she knew the bedroom wasn't one she'd ever seen before, but it smelled so familiar…like herbs and soap…like safety…like Severus and most of all, it smelled like outrageously good sex.

The arm wrapped protectively around her middle wasn't her ex-husband's. This arm was pale and sinewy, scared, ending in an elegant hand.

She turned over slowly, not wanting to wake him or encourage the pounding in her head. He smiled slightly in his sleep, black hair shining on the pillow, face relaxed.

She buried her face in his warm chest. She was certain of two things: She had slept with Severus Snape her friend and business partner…and she wanted to do it again as soon as she was sober enough to really appreciate his skill as a lover.

She laughed silently at her own presumption. She had no idea how he would take their excesses from the night before…this morning could be the very definition of awkward. She'd sneak out, but facing him Monday at work would be infinitely worse. At least this way she might be able to distract him…she felt a strong surge of affection at the idea.

With that in mind, she wordlessly summoned her wand and did a mild cleansing spell over both of them.

"Good morning."

She met his eyes as her body pressed against his.

"Good morning to you. I'm sorry I woke you."

He nuzzled her hair. "Don't be. Feeling your magic wash over me was a wonderful way to wake up."

He kissed her mouth possessively.

She returned the kiss and looked up at him, feeling just a bit shy. She had no idea what the polite protocol was in this situation. He pulled her lips to his again and all thoughts of being polite vanished.

"That doesn't seem like the kiss of a man with regrets." She said hopefully. His face darkened and she took in a hissing breath. She moved away from him, to the edge of the bed, summoning her clothing, knowing her skin was turning pink.

"Severus…"

He pulled her back and kissed her neck.

"I regret nothing."

His hands moved to her breasts and he kissed his way along her shoulder.

"How much do you remember from last night?"

She did blush as she felt his teeth along her back.

"There are a few muzzy scenes, but I think I remember most of it."

He continued to knead her as he kissed his way back to her neck.

"You remember why you were upset yesterday?"

Oh. _Oh._

"We forgot the contraception charm."

His tongue darted out and licked her ear. He rumbled "Mmmhmmm."

_That voice right in her ear….wait, focus. This was important._

"The last fertility potion is still active."

His fingers caressed from the swell of her breast, over her ribcage, into the dip of her waist, to rest on her hip. His calloused fingers reached up to tease her hardened nipples.

She arched her breasts into his hands, brushing her bum against him.

"So the only question is…"

"You do realize that you are about to question my masculinity and my skill as a potions master in the same breath…." She began to apologize but he chuckled and tucked a curl behind her ear.

His expression was like nothing she'd ever seen on his face before. It was considerably softer than his normal stoic mask, filled with some burning emotion that lit him from within.

"Unlike Weasley, there is nothing wrong with my reproductive health."

She looked at him curiously. He continued to nip at her skin.

"If you must know…I saw the donor paper work on your desk months ago. I was cleared as a donor."

She felt tears prick her eyes.

"Severus!" She kissed him soundly. "Oh god, I don't know what to say…I thought about asking, but the procedures were so intrusive, and I know how much you value your privacy." She kissed him again. "You did that…for me?"

He chuckled and kissed her mouth. "It's not just any witch who could inspire me to wank off in a sterile room, but I admit there was an element of selfishness in my decision." He ran his thumb across her cheek. "I never thought that we'd end up here…" he whispered. "So if the most we could share was a child, I wanted that."

She closed her eyes as tears spilled down her cheeks.

He laughed and pulled up a corner of the sheet to dab her face.

"What am I going to do with you witch?" He moved his hand possessively across her flat stomach.

He wordlessly summoned his wand and raised a brow.

"May I?"

She took a shuddering breath. He put down the wand and took her face in his hands.

"Hey." His lips brushed each eyelid, her cheeks, and finally captured her lips. "Everything will be fine."

She kissed him hard.

"What if I'm not?"

He snorted.

"Well, we could go back to St. Mungo's and go with your original plan…but I have to admit I much prefer this method of delivery."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Silly witch. You've known me for fifteen years. Have you ever known me to offer something I'm not willing to give?" His fingers found her core and slipped inside her. "But practice _does_ make perfect…"

Their wands were hastily shoved to the side and Severus quickly replaced his fingers with a much more satisfying part of his anatomy. He stretched her legs up around his neck and encircled her hips with his large hands, resting finger above her clit. She braced her hands on the headboard as he pounded in and out of her body.

"Severus!" She panted softly as she stared up at him, haloed in the morning light.

"Say that you're mine!"

Sweat was rolling down his body as he continued to piston her deliciously.

"Yours?"

His voice was even lower than usual. "Yes. Mine. Say it."

The pleasure was rolling through her mind, making coherent thought difficult. "Yours. I'm yours."

He took her mouth as his hands pushed her over the edge. She felt him spill into her as she came, his ejaculation setting off another small orgasm.

For a long moment neither could move as their sweaty bodies lay entwined in every way. She kissed his damp temple and caressed his face.

"I wonder when I fell in love with you."

He rolled onto his back, holding her so she ended on his chest.

"You were married, so I tried not to fall…but there you were, every day…bringing light and laughter into my otherwise pathetic existence. I knew I'd fallen hard when you told me that you were planning to have a child with that ginger idiot and my first reaction was happiness for you, no matter how jealous it made me."

She kissed his chest. "I don't deserve you, but I'm too selfish to let you get away. I'm afraid you're stuck with me Mr. Snape."

His arms tightened around her.

"You'll just have to marry me to make sure I don't take up with some floozy. It's a public service to floozies everywhere."

Her kiss was answer enough…of course, it didn't stop there.

_**AN: Next chapter by Monday! Have I mentioned that I write fluff? 'Cause this is going to be FLUFFY. You have been warned.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN: This is kinda short, but it felt right…**_

Ron Weasley adjusted himself on the sly as he walked down Diagon Alley. The reversal for the vasectomy was much more painful than the original procedure; it had been a major factor in his procrastination in reversing it. Still, his wife (officially ex-wife, but that would change), wouldn't take him back until and unless he offered some major penance. Giving her the child she wanted would do the trick, he was sure of it.

He'd given her six months to get over the whole divorce business. She would bury herself in her books and make a few potions with her greasy bat of a business partner, and she'd cool down. By now she'd be missing him.

How many other blokes would know that her favorite flowers were bright orange carnations? Or that she preferred the mint chocolates? Or that she hated ginger newts? They had too much history to just give up over little fight.

He'd sent several owls to their house with no reply, but he'd been in Australia over the off season, training…well mostly training. If there were a few nights at the pub, well, he was technically single now wasn't he?

It didn't really matter. He knew where she would be during business hours.

The bell above the door announced him as he strode into the apothecary where his wife (ex-wife, he still had to win her back) worked.

She didn't look up as she scratched away in a little notebook and sat behind the familiar desk. He recognized the intense concentration from years of watching her work on everything from SPEW to her potions mastery.

"Whatcha working on Mione?" She'd always loved his little pet names for her.

"Ron?" Funny, she looked surprised to see him.

"I brought you something." He gave her his best grin, the one that drove the fan girls crazy.

"Orange carnations."

He nodded. She might be in shock. She was still sitting at the desk.

"And mint chocolates, your favorites."

Her nostrils flared_. That wasn't a good sign._

"No Ron. I told you…in our sixth year, at our wedding, and again on our third anniversary that I love _calla lilies._ White calla lilies. I have no idea where you got the notion I like carnations, because I'm allergic to them. I gave up after the third anniversary and just smiled when you brought them because I knew it was your way of making up when you did something stupid. I told myself that it didn't matter that you never paid any attention to what I actually liked."

He shoved the chocolate at her. It MUST be that time of month.

"But I did buy the chocolates you like!"

She took a deep calming breath. "No, you didn't. I don't like mint chocolates. You like them. I like the cherry-filled chocolates. But it doesn't matter anymore. Why are you even here?"

He looked at the carnations. "I missed you."

"Oh for heaven's sake, Ron! Don't be an idiot. You'd better go before Severus gets back. He just went to pick up some lunch…"

"I don't care what the over-grown bat thinks Mione! And why would you?"

She gave him an appraising look.

"Haven't you kept up with the papers at all while you were out of the country?"

He tried the grin again. The darn thing normally worked on females.

"When have I ever read anything but the sports page?"

She snorted and stood up.

Her rounded belly appeared over the desk like the full moon rising.

He gaped, mouth open. "What happened?"

She smirked. "I should think that would be obvious, even to you Ron."

"Is it….mine?"

She hurled a knick-knack off her desk at his head, but it hit him somewhat lower.

"No." she snarled as he doubled over in pain.

The paperweight rolled across the floor as the bell announced someone's arrival in the shop. Ron was too busy clutching that rather tender part of his anatomy to see who walked in.

"Mr. Weasley, you have ten seconds to vacate the premises and cease irritating my wife."

Ron recognized the snarky tone of his former professor immediately.

"Someone married you?"

Severus Snape sat down a bag that smelled like Italian food and placed his hand possessively on Hermione's rounded belly. He looked murderous. Ron gulped as he took in their posture.

"Five seconds Mr. Weasley."

Hermione looked up at the tall potions master and smiled, covering his hands (still splayed on her belly) with her own.

Ron nearly swallowed his tongue.

No. She hadn't!

"Mione! We've only been divorced six months."

"Ron, just go before either I or my husband hex you."

Ron Weasley let his jaw drop as he backed out of the shop. He shut the door on the carnations twice.

He walked away slowly as he stared the mangled flowers.

_**AN: Ok…so that wasn't fluffy…but it WAS fun to write…and I think I gave Ron a fair deal…Severus didn't hex him, and I didn't kill him in a convenient broomstick accident…(you don't even want to know…it was too bloody to post on this site). **_

_**We'll do fluff and maybe a little more smut in the next chapter when we see those babies!  
(squeee!) Yes, I said babies.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Sorry about the wait guys…I caught the flu and I was down for ten full days. **_

Hermione beamed down at the tiny form nuzzled next to her breast. At six months old, Eileen Jane Snape was as pretty as any porcelain doll. She'd inherited her ringlets from her mother, her black hair and eyes from her father, and outrageous charm from some unknown relative on the family tree. She captivated everyone she met…most particularly her father and brothers.

"Hermione? Is she done? Your parents are here."

She adjusted her evening gown and put her sweet baby girl into her crib.

"I'm ready." Her husband kissed her as he pulled her out of the room.

Hermione's father was rolling on the floor with the twins, Aiden and Evan. At nearly four, they were little clones of her husband; she'd already seen her parents eyeing their teeth with dismay. Their hair was the only difference between the boys and their father physically; their black hair waved away from their pale identical faces as they attempted to climb Mt. Grandpa.

"Mama, Papa!" They abandoned their grandfather and looked up at their parents.

Evan, the bolder one, grinned up at her. "Mama, you look like a princess."

Hermione made a small curtsey and the boys giggled as she gathered them in her arms for hugs.

"Alright you two; I want you to be very good for Grandma and Grandpa while your father and I are out."

"Are you going to a ball mama?"

His father's voice broke into the conversation. "Not at all son. You should never take your princess to a ball…some prince might try to steal her."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I have my Prince."

The boys practically tackled Severus as he hugged them both and kissed their heads.

She looked up at her handsome husband in his unrelenting black dressrobes, and then turned back to the boys. "It's a special day for Mama and Papa…this is our fourth anniversary. So I am taking your father out so he doesn't have to cook dinner."

The boys giggled. Mama and Papa shared the kitchen duties along with everything else.

A tiny figure in a tea towel toga cleared her throat. "Master and Missus best be on their way or they will miss their reservation."

Jean Granger gave her daughter's arm a squeeze. "Go on. I think Roger, Tinky, and I can handle the children for one night."

Hermione beamed at her mother. "Thank you. There are plenty of bottles in the cupboard under a stasis charm so you won't have to do anything except feed them to Eileen."

Her mother nodded. "I have done this a time or two dear. Go on, have a lovely evening…are you sure you don't want us to stay the night?"

Hermione laughed and kissed her mother's cheek. "Eileen's too young…"

"Hermione, stop being a mother hen…"

"Mother…" Her doting husband started pulling her toward the door.

"The boys have already had their bath…there's fruit in the kitchen if they want a snack."

Severus wrapped her cloak around her.

"I have my cell phone, fully charged…and I really don't think the boys should use their potion-making kits or brooms while we're away…"

Her husband steered her firmly out the door as she continued her unnecessary list of admonishments.

"They'll be fine, love."

"I hate leaving them alone."

Severus snorted and pulled her tight.

"Don't tell your mother that you liken leaving them in her care to leaving them unattended…and don't tell Tinky either…she'd probably commit ritual suicide, free elf or not."

He kissed her passionately. "Relax. The children will be splendid tonight. And I have a witch in desperate need of being wined and dined."

She smiled and ran a hand down the well-fitted robes. "Not too much wine."

"Oh? You didn't say that last time I got you…blurry." His eyes glittered wickedly in the moonlight.

_Merlin's bright pink pants, did she really just think that about her husband? She sounded like a cheesy dime store novel in her own head. _But the man did look well in his dress robes…and a woman couldn't be condemned for noticing when her husband was blatantly admiring her 'baby curves'.

He pulled her even tighter to him and appearated them to the restaurant.

They were ushered into a secluded alcove, wine was chosen, dinner ordered, and the attentive server finally left them alone…

"You look lovely tonight Mrs. Snape."

Hermione pulled her husband close and kissed him soundly.

"I don't get tired of that."

He ran a calloused thumb over her soft cheek. "Of my kisses?"

She kissed him again.

"Oh, those too…but I never get tired of hearing you call me Mrs. Snape." She looked into her best friend's eyes and kissed him again. "I'm half-awed that I got so lucky, and half-irritated that I was too stupid to take that chance before."

Severus Snape smiled at his wife. He did that often. Why shouldn't he smile? He had an amazing family, a successful business…and a beautiful wife who adored him as much as he adored her.

"I would have never said this before the war, but sometimes, things just seem to work out perfectly in their own time. Every step I trudged through darkness, every risk I took, every wound…they brought me here. If I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't risk a moment of our lives together for anything in the world."

Hermione dashed the tears out of her eyes.

"Oh, Severus."

His brows contracted in confusion as she pulled out her cell phone.

"What…?"

"Mom? Yes…I changed my mind…if the offer still stands? We'll be home before noon…ok, before two…thank you so much!"

Severus felt his brows rise. Hermione was a devoted mother that didn't like to leave her children in the care of others.

"Mrs. Snape, are you kidnapping me?"

She kissed his jaw line softly.

"I believe I am Mr. Snape."

"I'm afraid I didn't bring a change of clothing."

His wife smirked at him.

She took his hand and leaned across the table to whisper in his ear.

"Don't worry…we won't need clothes." Her little pink tongue darted out and traced his ear for the briefest moment.

"Check please."

_**Totally gratuitous smut coming up. **_

_**Why? **_

_**Because all I want for Christmas is a potions master wrapped in a red bow. (I doubt I can work a bow into the chapter, but come to think of it…wrapping is optional!)**_

_**For everyone reading PTSD: Don't despair, I'll update by Monday!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**I want to say thank-you for all the support. This story kept me from losing my mind while I was moving, and gave me a reason to write as soon as the flu receded. So thank you to everyone who has stuck with me on this. **_

_**The New Year is upon us…I hope that each of you have 365 days of blessings and that each year after this one holds more joy than the last! **_

_**Without further ado, the final chapter of Chimes:**_

It should have been a bit clichéd. The parents of young children were notorious for removing to a hotel room for a bit of alone time…not to mention the prospect of an uninterrupted bath and the prospect of sleeping past seven am.

But as Severus rushed his wife inside the room and closed the door firmly, he didn't find it cliché.

He pulled her close and she met his lips with a slight smile.

She ran her fingers lightly over the old scar on his neck (it grew less sensitive with every passing year, but it still did interesting things to his nerve endings when the scar tissue was stroked…)

He vanished her hair pins with wordless magic as he kissed her.

She pulled away, laughing.

"Severus!"

He grinned as he re-captured her lips. It was an ongoing battle between them. He put up with hair pins in their proper place (in the apothecary, around dangerous potions) but when they were alone, he loved her hair falling all around them. It reached her hips unbound. In her Grecian-inspired evening gown, she looked like some ancient goddess with her curls tumbling down.

Severus was convinced that the sensation of those silken locks moving over his body was the most decadent feeling in the world.

He buried his fingers in her hair as he lingered at her lips, allowing the kisses to move unhurriedly to an exploration of her soft neck, enjoying the heady scent of her skin as much as her little gasps and sighs.

She was unbuttoning his outer robes slowly, caressing his chest through the thick layers, teasing.

His hands ghosted along her shoulders, her exposed back, skimming the silken fabric of her dress, dipping under the fabric with just the tips of his calloused fingers.

She stepped out of her heels and pulled him toward the bed. He tore off his outer robes and tossed them aside, longing for more contact with her.

He traced the neckline of her dress with his tongue languidly, then tugged the garment over her head in one quick motion.

Her breasts were a constant source of fascination for Severus. They were larger after three children, soft, with a lingering scent of milk. He used feathery touches and kissed his way down her body as she traced light circles along his skin.

He parted her thighs with his large hands and positioned himself between them. He'd never get enough of her, not if he lived to be a thousand. She giggled when he used another burst of wandless magic to vanish her knickers.

"I liked those!"

He chuckled as he tasted her. He looked up into her deep brown eyes.

"I couldn't wait."

She caressed his black hair.

"You always say that."

"I love being responsible for your missing knickers." He waggled his brows at his giggling wife and lowered his head back to the juncture of her thighs.

Her giggles turned into mewling pleas eventually as he watched her back arch completely off the bed.

He smirked at her as he slid into her feverishly hot body. Her inner walls were still fluttering from his attentions, and if he found exactly the right angle…her breathless gasp announced his success. He lifted her hips slightly and ran himself over that single inch…that tiny bundle of nerves inside her. She hooked her feet behind him and met each thrust. She came again, screaming.

He grinned as he realized they hadn't set a silencing charm. Too late for that.

He didn't wait for her to recover. His wife was capable of coming for hours if he didn't let up. He flipped over and put his hands on her hips to guide her. She was grinning down at him as she moved, breasts peeking out of the curtain of hair.

She started sweating as she picked up speed; she pushed the hair behind her.

He felt his balls tighten almost painfully as the silken strands caressed his thighs and fell between his legs.

"Merlin, Hermione!"

She traced his lips with one finger. He pulled her palm close enough to kiss.

He rolled over without warning and plundered her lips. There was nothing better than her mouth. He took his time, mimicking the motion of his cock, thrusting into her mouth as he thrust between her legs.

She pulled away from the kiss as he sped toward the inevitable conclusion and sucked his scar into her mouth. His vision went white and he emptied himself into her with a gasp.

He panted over his smug wife as his vision cleared.

"Merlin's beard woman! One night you're going to do that and it's going to kill me."

She just gave him that same Cheshire-cat grin and sat up to kiss him again. "I love you too."

"Hummmph. You'll be the death of me." He pulled her up to his chest and kissed the top of her head. "But what a way to go."

SSssSSssSSssSSssSSssSSssSSss SSssSSssSSssSS

Tink was quite willing to pop over to the hotel with fresh clothing the next morning as the couple snuggled in hotel-provided robes eating room service. The elf smiled broadly at them and left quickly, knowing they didn't want or need anything but time together.

Severus was playing with his wife's hair, pretending to read the paper while she drank a cup of revitalizing tea (they still had several hours before they had to be home, and he was quite looking forward to running her a hot bath…and shagging her in the warm water.) A short article on the society page caught his eye.

Former War Hero sued a third time for paternity…

The picture showed three irritated witches and a very dejected Ronald B. Weasley. Apparently, the Quidditch star was fighting the international courts to avoid having his remaining assets seized to pay back child-support in three different countries. Severus squinted at the fuzzy picture. The Australian child was almost as big as the twins…

Hermione ran a large juicy strawberry across his lips.

"Anything important in the newspaper?"

Severus folded it and tossed it off the bed before catching her wrist and biting the fruit. He nuzzled her neck as he chewed, then kissed her lovingly.

"Nothing is important when I have my wife alone and naked in my bed."

Severus Snape grinned as he pinned her to the sheets and began to kiss her with intent. Some days he was still shocked that this was his life…and to think the catalyst was something as simple as chimes….


End file.
